Apex Central uses the Microsoft SQL Server database (db_ApexCentral.mdf) to store data included in logs, Communicator schedule, managed product and child server information, user account, network environment, and notification settings.
The Apex Central server establishes the database connection using a System DSN ODBC connection. The Apex Central installation generates this connection as well as the ID and password used to access db_ApexCentral.mdf. The default ID is sa. Apex Central encrypts the password.
To maximize the SQL server security, configure any SQL account used to manage db_ApexCentral with the following minimum permissions:
dbcreator for the server role
db_owner role for db_ApexCentral
Logs from managed products contribute to database expansion. Managed products send various log types to Apex Central.
The following table lists the log count and database size for each log type.
|
Log Type |
Log Count |
Database Size (MB) |
|---|---|---|
|
Virus |
100,000 |
150 |
|
500,000 |
750 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
1,500 |
|
|
Spyware/Grayware |
100,000 |
150 |
|
500,000 |
750 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
1,500 |
|
|
Web security |
100,000 |
150 |
|
500,000 |
750 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
1,500 |
|
|
Behavior Monitoring |
100,000 |
120 |
|
500,000 |
600 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
1,200 |
|
|
Data Loss Prevention |
100,000 |
300 |
|
500,000 |
1,500 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
3,000 |
|
|
File hash detection |
100,000 |
180 |
|
500,000 |
900 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
1,800 |
|
|
Attack Discovery |
100,000 |
1,200 |
|
500,000 |
6,000 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
12,000 |
|
|
Intrusion Prevention |
100,000 |
70 |
|
500,000 |
350 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
700 |
|
|
Application Control |
100,000 |
200 |
|
500,000 |
1,000 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
2,000 |
The database space required for log storage can be calculated based on the log type and amount. For example:
-
An Apex One managed product sends 20,000 virus logs and 10,000 web security logs to Apex Central daily.
-
Apex Central keeps both log types for 90 days.
The database space required is 1.2 GB for virus logs and 1 GB for web security logs. However, there might be an additional space required for log summary or other features.
Because the Apex Central database runs on a scalable database — SQL Server, the theoretical limit is whatever the hardware can handle. Trend Micro has tested up to 2,000,000 entries. If the database server performance is overworked or pushed to its limit, the web console may experience connection time-outs.
Trend Micro recommends allocating a significant buffer space for database growth and monitoring the database to help obtain a precise database size measurement.